


Dancing With The Devil - The Innocence of Childhood

by xAlmasyx



Category: Devil May Cry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-22 08:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11376921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xAlmasyx/pseuds/xAlmasyx
Summary: A new family moves across from the Leighs, much to the delight of their only daughter. She is completely enamoured by the silver haired twins. The three become thick as thieves and this part of Dancing with the Devil portrays their life as children.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is start of part 1 of the Dancing With The Devils series I plan to write out. Please don't forget to review if you like what you see <3

It was a mild Autumn morning when they moved in.

A young, full of spirit Dios knew that when a big board appeared in front of a house that a new family would soon occupy it. Her large grey eyes kept their focus on the large weatherboard house across from her own home for days in excited anticipation of seeing the new occupants move in.

Her mother, Lorraine, whom was doing the exact same thing across the hall in the kitchen while sipping on her morning coffee, suddenly heard her younger mirror image squeal with delight as a car pulled up in front of the vacant house. She turned to watch the heavy steps of her platinum haired three year old rush into the kitchen and to her side. She smiled down at Dios through her mug adoringly, placing her free hand atop her head, earning a grin and giggle from the little girl.

“Are the new people here Dios?” She asked, receiving an ecstatic nod in response. “Sweetheart, use your words.” With a cheeky smile, Dios obliged,

“They here mumma!”

“They are here, Dios.” Dios squirmed slightly; the toddler still struggled to form coherent sentences due to her age, but alas,

“They are here.” She finally said before taking off down the hallway and towards the front door, urging Lorraine to follow with a sigh and a small laugh at her daughter’s interest in the new family moving in, not that she wasn’t interested herself; she was just able to show a little bit more restraint in her actions.

When she got to the front door she was met with Dios attempting to put on her little brown booties all by herself, like she had been attempting for the past few days, but to no avail. It caused Lorraine to breathe a small laugh at her struggling daughter, being careful not to let her see her immediate amusement at Dios’ futile attempt to be independent. She knelt down in front of her, tenderly taking the troublesome bootie from her small hands and asking her to put her foot out.

“Good girl. One day you’ll get it and you will have to tell daddy all about it.” Sliding any kind of footwear on an over excited toddler was a trying task for any parent, but somehow Lorraine was able to put them on Dios without incident, probably because of the girl’s eagerness to meet the new people and welcome them into their quiet little neighbourhood.

“Daddy!” She cheered excitedly. Dios absolutely adored her father, Theo. He worked for the city’s emergency services as a fire fighter alongside Lorraine who worked in the hospital’s emergency department.

Once Lorraine handed Dios her light purple jacket, who was able to put that on a lot easier than her shoes, she grabbed the small hamper of necessities she and Theo purchased as a welcome gift for the new family and opened the front door, allowing the morning light to flow freely into the hallway and bring the two in full view of the house and car before them.

“Woooooow.” Dios exclaimed as the driver excited from the slick black vehicle, his silver, slicked back locks shimmering in the sunlight. But oddly, regardless of the colour of his hair, the man appeared quite young, dressed in a simple white shirt and black slacks. Spying the pair watching them, he beckoned them over with a smile and Dios eagerly took Lorraine’s hand, effectively dragging the pair over; but not before remembering her road etiquette and looking both ways prior to crossing with her hand being safely enveloped by her mother’s.

The remaining occupants of the car exited, a gorgeous young woman with golden blonde hair, warm, homely blue eyes and she wore an elegant deep purple dress to complement her mesmerizing features. What could be assumed as their twin sons, sporting their father’s silver hair and their mother’s blue eyes came out from the back seat of the car, the only remarkable difference between the two is that the one in the crimson t-shirt eyed Dios with excitement, presumably as this meant that there was another kid other than his brother to play with. Whereas the one in the dark blue t-shirt looked at Dios and Lorraine with indifference, preferring to stand slightly behind his twin.  
The adults however had already started exchanging pleasantries.

“Welcome to the neighbourhood.” Lorraine spoke, handing the blonde woman the hamper, eliciting a chorused ‘thank you’ from the couple. “My name is Lorraine Leigh and this is my daughter Dios. My husband currently is at work, but his name is Theo.” The man was first to regard her with a strong but hearty handshake.

“Sparda. Redgrave.” His voice was so smooth and regal; it temporarily distracted Dios from the two boys, looking up at him in awe. He sounded like royalty, well what she assumed royalty sounded like anyway. He caught her eye and smiled at her with a wink, causing her to blush and hide behind her mother. Not only was he handsome, but charming to match. His wife covered her mouth, laughing at Dios’ sudden shyness towards them when she was so excited moments ago.

“And my name is Eva.” She gestured for the boys to come closer and they did as they were asked, standing in between their parents, “This is Dante.” She gestured to the boy in red, the kinder looking one who waved in response, causing Dios to wave back to him behind Lorraine’s legs, “And this is Vergil.” He grumbled a ‘hi’ in response, now only looking at Dios with mild intrigue at her actions. “I hope that we can all get along.”

“Are you a pwincess?” Dios interjected, “Cause I like pwincesses.”  
There was that lovely laugh from Eva again and she shook her head, “I’m afraid not my dear.” Vergil’s eye roll went unnoticed, but Dante’s laugh certainly wasn’t.

“It would be cool though, huh? Having royalty move in!” He was a very good ice breaker, for a child. Dios came back from behind her mother to stand closer to the twins. “How old are you Dios?”

“I’m thwee. You?”

“We’re four.”

The adults seemed to be lost in their own conversation once again, the exchange of contact details already taking place while Dante and Dios got to know each other with Vergil now and then responding with a disinterested grunt or nod. Dios didn’t understand why Vergil was being so standoffish about her presence, but she wouldn’t let that stop her from making Dante, and him, for that matter her friends.

“If you need anything don’t be afraid to call. I’m sure that our children will get along great.”

“Thank you Lorraine.” Sparda was quite impressed to meet such a friendly face so soon into their move. He made a mental note to ensure that Eva and he would become good friends with her family, and that his sons make a lifelong friend out of Dios. “Once we settle we must invite your family over for dinner so we can all get to know each other.” Eva nodded in agreement.

“Of course.” Lorraine responded, “Come now Dios, we need to let them settle in.”

“Okay mummy. Bye bye!”

“Bye bye Dios.” Sparda and Eva spoke in unison waving at the two. Dante was also waving, using his spare hand to force Vergil to wave his unwilling arm as well.  
A mostly pleasant first meeting in which Dios hoped would be the first of many more to come.

-

Dios spent the entire day watching moving truck after moving truck empty out their contents onto the front lawn of her new friend’s home, admiring each and every piece of antique wooden furniture eventually disappearing through their front door. Thankfully that meant that Lorraine could get all of the housework done without incident, but she too was curious to see what Eva and Sparda had brought to their new home, periodically taking a peek through whichever window she was nearby. They owned a large amount of bookcases and antique weapons, she noted, finally some interesting people had moved into their street instead of the odd retiree or families with children too old to befriend Dios.

She caught herself fantasizing about walking with Eva and the kids to kindergarten, gossiping about nothing in particular while Dios, Dante and Vergil played some kind of game beside them.

“That would be nice.” She sighed, placing the last load of laundry in the dryer before getting ready for her night shift in the ER.

-

By the time Theo had come home for the night, Lorraine had just settled Dios into bed, but with the Dios knowing that her father had come home, she sprung out of her room, down the stairs and flung herself into the red head’s outstretched arms.

“Daddy!” She cried happily, nuzzling into his chest. The scent of his cologne was still present over the slightly harsh smell of the smoke on his uniform, but she didn’t mind. It always reminded her that he spends his days away from home saving the lives of others.

“Di Di!” He hugged her tighter, lifting her up to spin her around in circles. That was the routine when he came home from work. No matter how many times Dios was settled into bed prior to him coming home, she would always rush down to meet him the moment he came through the front door.

“Alright sweetheart, now it’s really time for bed.” Lorraine interjected, also now in her work uniform; a fresh pair of scrubs. It was now her turn to go and save some lives.  
Theo chuckled, throwing Dios over his shoulder, gaining a squeak from her tiny form. “You heard your mother, time for bed!” Dios looked up from Theo’s back to wave at Lorraine, a small grin tugging at her lips.

“Goodnight mumma.”

“Goodnight Dios. Theo, I’ll tell you about our new neighbours when I get home in the morning.” The two adults quickly turned to each other for a good bye kiss before Theo took off up the stairs, a gigging Dios bumping on his back with every step.

Dios’ favourite colour was purple, evident in the layout of her bedroom. Her walls were painted a light lilac, her bedsheets were a deep purple and most of the teddies neatly stacked up in the far corner of her room were multiple shades of the colour. Lorraine and Theo made sure that their daughter was always happy with her living arrangements, assisting her whenever they could to keep it to her three year old standards; which was surprisingly quite tidy.  
Lying Dios down onto her bed, Theo lifted the covers over her shoulders before sitting beside her, stroking her hair until her eyes started to feel heavy.

“I met Dante and Vergil today.”

“Yeah?”

“And Miss Eva and Sp- Sp- I can’t say it…” She sighed with disappointment, causing Theo to smile down at his little girl, still stroking her hair tenderly, lovingly.

“That’s okay Di Di. Are they nice people?”

“Mmhmm.” She began to dose off, closing her eyes one last time.

“I’m sure they are.” He leaned down, kissing her forehead. “Goodnight my little Di Di.” There was no response, which was his chance to quietly get away and organize himself for some well-earned shut eye. Meeting the new neighbours would be his priority after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain did a thing! 
> 
> Essentially I hiatus'd this fic when my old laptop died up the ass last year and all my WIPS for this story went with it and I rage quit. I still wanted to do more to this story so I didn't delete it, and finally, FINALLY my brain is like 'so, wanna have a go?' and here it is! Huzzah!

Throughout the next year and a half Dios and the twins became near inseparable, with Dante and Dios getting along swimmingly. Vergil would always argue that he only allowed the little girl into his heart to keep his brother happy, but the stoic older twin was always the first to be by Dios’ side whenever the three-now-five year old had altercations with the other children about being friends with the ‘silver haired weirdos’. Children were brutally honest and harsh creatures, but Dios never wavered when sticking up for her closest friends and Vergil silently respected that.

“Stop it!” She would always cry, “Dante and Vergil are just as normal as the rest of us and they are my bestest friends!” 

Dante would always become solemn whenever they were picked on, only wanting to fit in with the other kids, though Vergil could care less, focusing on the blonde who would always vehemently defend their honour.

“Well you’re a weirdo too, Dios!” The offending child would usually reply to try and bring her down a peg and that’s when Vergil would approach before the altercation became physical, his hand gripping onto hers.

“Dios its not worth it,  _ they’re _ not worth your time or effort.” The other children were petrified of Vergil, too smart for his own good their parents would say in their little gossip groups, his hardened glare would even terrify their teacher, which Eva would brush off with a playful ‘oh he’s just like his father, he’d never hurt a fly!’.

“But… but you’re not weird, I like your hair!” Vergil’s hand would slip out of Dios’ as if it were never there, grabbing her by the arm and leading her towards Dante, but never without an ice cold glare to the child who bullied her; the  _ cowards _ would never be so bold as to harass her when the three were together.

 

* * *

 

Many nights and sleepovers were had between the three with Eva, Sparda, Lorraine and Theo always finding the three snuggled deep into each other in a single bed and the boy’s pale arms wrapped protectively around their little friend (though Dios would always awaken in the morning with Vergil’s form suspiciously missing from the cuddle pile as if he were never there in the first place), and many keepsake photos were taken by their mothers who were proud of their babies becoming such close companions. 

Their weekday lives consisted of either Eva or Lorraine accompanying them to the local kindergarten in the mornings, which in a blink of an eye turned into escorting the eager and rambunctious Dios and Dante to Capulet City Elementary whilst Vergil stayed by the adult’s side reading a book that should be far too advanced for a boy his age. It never bothered him though, Vergil wished to be as strong and knowledgeable as his father and it showed in his studious nature, absorbing any new tidbit of information like a sponge and excelling in every subject the school had to offer. 

Dante had a tendency to goof off, his work books always full of messy doodles of the twins playing with their wooden swords with Dios in the background cheering the more extroverted twin on, yet he would always get near perfect marks on his tests and assignments which always baffled the teachers to no end. Maybe he was actually paying attention in class,  _ maybe. _

And Dios, always eager to please ended up excelling in the physical aspect of school. Gym was by far her favourite subject and any team she was on was assured victory with her athletic prowess. The fact that Eva and Sparda never shied away from allowing her to rough house and play sword fights with the boys (with her parent’s willing consent of course) whenever she was over helped with her athletic ability, and whilst her written subjects weren’t as flourished as Dante and Vergil’s she still passed with flying colours and every achievement was stuck proudly to the fridge of the Leigh’s home.

 

* * *

 

“Dante get down from there or else Dios will follow you!” Vergil scolded his younger twin who was already half-way up the tree in their backyard. It just so happened to be the tallest tree Dante had attempted to scale yet and Dios was quick to jump up from her reading with Vergil to follow, her platinum blonde pigtails and baby blue dress fluttering in the wind as she ran towards the trunk to begin climbing.

“Don’t be such a worry-wart Vergil, I’m big and strong like you two, I’ll be fine!” The feat stood no chance against the eager girl, using her climbing practice from gym class to her advantage to catch up to Dante who waited for her with a cheshire grin.

“Don’t worry Verge, we got this! We’re pros don’t you know?” Dante yelled back down to his frowning brother. It was funny to him to see Vergil so protective of Dios’ safety, yes she was a human but to Dante she was a strong little human girl with a heart of gold and determination to match even the strongest of demons their father faced. There’s no way she’d ever get hurt.

She’d never been injured during any of their climbing escapades before, so they didn’t need to worry.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, the next branch Dios had climbed upon had a hairline fracture and was in no condition to hold the five-year-old’s weight, the loud resounding crack causing Dante to gasp in horror and reach down to grab her before she fell several metres to the hard ground.

“Dios, grab o- NO!” He was too late, her little fingers brushing his as she fell back first from the broken branch with a shrill scream of terror. Her cries were short lived whilst she hit branches on the way down rendering her unconscious and Vergil ran, screaming her name with all his might to catch her before she hit the ground. Dante was also quick to move, launching himself from the tree and landing beside his brother to assist in catching her.

She landed into their awaiting arms with a ‘thud’ and they both knelt down immediately to set her down onto the grass. Vergil was on her instantly to check that the cuts over her body were not serious.

“Verge, her arm is broken, it’s sticking out.” Dante whimpered, pointing out Dios’ right forearm without touching it and Vergil’s breath hitched as he visibly paled at the sight of shards of bone sticking out from her skin.

“Get mother. Now.” His voice was eerily calm despite his small heart pounding in his chest and Dante wasted no time running into the house screaming for Eva to hurry and call an ‘amberlamps’. Vergil never took his eyes off of Dios, a trembling hand stroking her cheek.

He felt absolutely helpless for the first time in his life and he didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know if he could live with himself if Dios hated them for not protecting her from harm like the friends in the books they had read together would do for each other. He only ever thought he just needed Dante in his heart and life, but Dios’ companionship caused his heart to swell with unknown emotion and he didn’t want to lose that.

“Please forgive me, Dios.”   
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MFW when I finally kill procrastination dead: \o/
> 
> Now let's wait six months for me to do it again! 8D
> 
> If you find any spelling or grammar mistakes, feel free to hit me up on it and I'll fix it when I can :)

When Dios awoke she was afraid and confused in a room full of people rushing back and forth and speaking in tongues she didn't understand. And she was in pain, so much pain. Not even the groan she emitted showed how much her little body hurt.

She tried to move but another searing pain shot up her right arm and she screamed, causing the people around her to hold her down as she thrashed and cried, unable to move her neck due to the brace constricting her. 

“MAMA!” She sobbed out brokenly, “I want my mama!” There were more tears and cries until she felt a pair of soft, warm hands caress her hair and forehead.

“Shh, it's alright Dios. Your mum will be over soon.” The familiar voice spoke soothingly, wiping the tears from her eyes. Once her vision cleared she was looking in the vibrant blues of none other than Eva.

“M-miss Eva…? Where am I?” Eva smiled warmly at her, calming her and allowing the medical team to continue working on her.

“You're in a hospital, dear. Do you remember what happened?” She tried nodding her head but it hurt and she couldn't move. Panic rose in her again, “It's alright, you're in a neck brace just in case, sweetheart. Tell the doctors and myself what you remember.”

Dios’ watered eyes moved around the room more thoroughly, seeing numerous doctors and nurses taking notes, bringing in blood bags and injecting her with god knows what. There was a kind looking elderly doctor at her side with half moon shaped spectacles and hazel eyes, his greying black beard short and well trimmed.

“Hello Dios, my name is Dr. Moore, I'm a colleague of your mother's and your pediatrician for today. Do you mind telling me what you remember?”

“I-I fell?” She thought hard about what exactly she fell from, but all she could really think about was how much she hurt all over. “I really, really hurt. I hurt everywhere.” She began tearing up again even with Eva’s constant soothing.

“The painkillers will kick in soon, dear. You'll be alright.” She held back a sob at Eva’s words, wanting to be strong for the woman she looked up to and tried to concentrate on the question asked so she could remember what brought her here in the first place.

“Um… I was following Dante up a tree I think. Vergil told me not to, but I've been fine before! I don't know why I fell.” Wait… if Eva was here with her then, “Where is Dante and Vergil?” 

“They're in the waiting room with Sparda, they're very worried about you.” Eva noticed her frown, petting her chubby cheeks softly, “They were very good boys catching you so you wouldn't hurt yourself more if you hit the ground.” Dios smiled at that; the twins more often than not working in tandem to assure her safety. But… how did Dante get down before she did? He was so high up.

She had no time to ponder it however because moments later Lorraine burst through the curtains wearing fresh scrubs and a pain stricken look on her face the very moment she spied her injured daughter.

“Oh my little baby…” She cooed, moving to take Eva’s place who obliged her happily, “My sweet Dios, mummy is here now.” Lorraine’s voice reopened the dam that was Dios’ tears, her face flooding with the salty droplets,

“Mama!” She cried, her vision blurring once again, “I'm so sorry mama!” 

“You don’t need to be sorry honey, it was an accident.” She felt her mother shower her face in kisses trying to cheer her up some before she was wheeled away for more tests.

 

* * *

 

During the drive home in the Redgrave car, the twins sat in silence; with Dante watching the world go by out the window and Vergil clutching his newest book tightly and slightly creasing the delicate pages, unable to get through the current page of The Divine Comedy he was reading without thoughts of Dios running through his mind.

“She got off easy with merely a broken arm and a concussion considering how high up she was.” Sparda commented, never taking his eyes off the road and it caused Vergil to grip the book tighter, his knuckles turning white.

She should have listened to him, then she wouldn’t be hurt at all!

_ It is best, as I think and understand, for you to follow me, and I will be your guide, and lead you from here through an eternal space where you will hear the desperate shouts, will see the ancient spirits in pain, so that each one cries out for a second death- _

Dios...

He slammed the book shut, setting it beside him before he too looked out the window, watching as suburbia passed them by. Eva turned to look at the forlorn twin with fond concern. The boy was struggling to comprehend his worry for his friend.

“Dios is going to be okay, Vergil. She was going into surgery to fix her forearm up when we left and then the both of you can see her tomorrow.” She saw him frown through the reflection in his window. Her mother’s intuition told her that he was more upset with himself that he allowed her to get hurt more than anything else he was worried about. 

“How about this,” Sparda piped up, causing the boys to look at their father in question, “Why don’t we go and find something for Dios so she doesn’t feel lonely staying in the hospital.

“Let’s do it!” Dante agreed, Vergil only nodding silently in acquiescence.

“But first things first…” The aura in the vehicle suddenly became thick, Sparda’s eyes locking with Dante’s from the rear vision mirror, “Dante, what have I told you about showcasing your demonic strength in front of mortals?” The crushed look from the younger twin was instantaneous. 

“But dad she could have died!” He argued, puffing his cheeks out at his father,

“We are well aware of this fact, my son. But the Leigh’s do not know of our lineage and it needs to stay that way for their own safety.” His eyes softened once more and gazed back at the road ahead of them, “Though it was brave of you to jump down after her, be more mindful from now on.” A sigh left his lips, he was never any good at scolding his children, but the words had to come from him, the demon in human’s clothing. 

“The same goes for you, Vergil.” Eva finished, smiling softly at the twins, “I know the both of you care very much about Dios, which is all the more reason why she must not know what you two and Sparda are.” Vergil scoffed, looking back out his window with a scowl.

“She’s just an idiot.” He mumbled halfheartedly, betraying his true feelings for their only friend.

Their stupid idiot friend, who never stopped smiling at them and stood up for them regardless of any of the consequences she faced. Even if it meant she lost her own friends in the process.

She’s a stupid, loyal, idiot friend.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per usual, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


End file.
